The city is crossed by numerous ravines, one of which separates the old city (south) from the new city (north); bridges and embankments connect the two. Etawah contains the 16th-century Jāmiʿ Masjid (Great Mosque), built on high ground from the ruins of old Hindu buildings. There is also a ruined 15th-century fort, surrounded by Hindu temples. The city has important cotton- and silk-weaving industries, contains oilseed mills, and is a distribution centre for ghee (clarified butter).

Etawah is situated in a stretch of the Ganges-Yamuna Doaballuvial plain drained by the Yamuna and its tributaries and irrigated by a branch of the Ganges (Ganga) Canal system. Crops include wheat, corn (maize), barley, and millet. The locality has many large ravines, and soil erosion is a problem along the rivers. Reclamation and forestation projects helped reclaim some of the land. Pop. (2001) 210,453; (2011) 256,838.